Five countries in Great Lakes Region face food shortages

Five countries in the Great Lakes region are among 23 Sub-Saharan states facing food shortages, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) reported on Monday. The five are Burundi, Central African Republic (CAR), Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Republic of Congo (ROC) and Tanzania. In its Global Information and Early Warning System Africa Report, FAO said the shortages in Burundi, CAR and ROC were due to civil strife and internally displaced persons (IDPs); in the DRC there was an added problem of refugees, while in Tanzania the shortages were due to both refugees and drought in parts of the country. Total cereal production in Burundi in 2003 was estimated at 254,000 mt, 2.5 percent below 2002 but 3.3 percent above the average of the past five years, FAO said. However, it noted that total food production remained below the average of the pre-civil war period (1988-1993) and that a marked decline in pulse production had reduced an important source of dietary protein. In CAR, FAO reported that the food security situation remained precarious following civil strife from October 2002 to March 2003 and that widespread destruction of property, looting and population displacement had disrupted agricultural activities. It said food production was not expected to increase this year, especially in the north, due to insecurity during the planting period which limited access to fields, as well as seed shortages. While crop growing conditions in ROC were generally satisfactory for maize and root crops, insecurity continued to disrupt agriculture and rehabilitation activities in areas affected by conflicts, FAO reported. An improvement in the overall security situation in the DRC had led to improved food aid distribution to IDPs and returning refugees, FAO said, noting that humanitarian agencies which had reached Songolo and Iga-Barriere towns around Bunia, the main town in Ituri district, northeastern Congo, had reported the nutritional situation of the population to be "very poor". FAO reported that in Tanzania, forecasts of the 2003 food crop production indicated a 10 percent decline compared to 2002, caused mainly by extended dry weather in several parts of the country and by early cessation of the main seasonal rains. It said serious food shortages had been reported in seveal areas, including Dodoma, Shinyanga, Singida, Manyara, Lindi, the Coast and Morogoro. Overall, nearly two million people were estimated to be in need of food aid and a seed deficit of approximately 3,200 mt was anticipated. The FAO Africa Report is published three times a year. The latest report urged aid agencies to rely on local purchases or "triangular transactions" (where a third party finances trading betwen two other parties) to carry out food aid activities. [The report is available online at: www.fao.org]